


Foxhole

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - World War II, M/M, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-05
Updated: 2007-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-04 13:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/394160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But today was his birthday, and he spent it in a foxhole at freezing temperatures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Foxhole

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the episode Bastogne of Band of Brothers.

John exhaled into his hands, but it was all worthless. The warmth of his breath did nothing to ease the bone-deep chill. He didn't think he remembered what feeling warm felt like.

"Why am I here again?" McKay asked next to him.

"That guy, Hitler or so, started something..."

"And I bet _he's_ not freezing his fucking ass off at the moment. Damn him and every German under his command. I shouldn't be here. I should be at university."

"So you keep saying." John didn't have patience for McKay today. Normally he'd indulge him by listening to tales about his no doubt brilliant future. But today was his birthday, and he spent it in a foxhole at freezing temperatures, and as it was, he should be happy the Germans weren't currently firing at them. And that was about the only good thing about this birthday.

"Why are you so sullen anyway? You're the sunshine of the whole fucking company. I know I told you to stop. Forget that. This is _not_ better. Damn, I need to take a leak."

John tried to prepare himself for the cold, when McKay would crawl out through the branches they'd put on top to cover against the worst of the cold. But he didn't go. "What now? Do you need someone to hold your dick for you?" He really wasn't in the mood today.

McKay muttered something and went off. After 15 minutes John was beginning to worry. Nobody stayed out there longer than they had to and McKay complained the worst of any of them. Shit, now he had to go out there and look for him. One of these days he was going to kill McKay.

Suddenly John sat up. What if he'd run into some Germans. It could happen. They'd caught one a few weeks ago, who had strayed too far from the line. His heart was beating rapidly when there was suddenly a noise.

The main branch above him was lifted, and McKay slipped in. "Where did you go to piss? Berlin?"

"Yeah, I figured Adolf wouldn't mind."

They settled together, sharing a bit of body heat. Then McKay pulled something out of his pocket and put it in John's hands.

"Happy birthday," he said.

John took a look in the moonlight that was shining through the branches. "Chocolate?"

"Beckett gave it to me."

John didn't know what to say. It was just a tiny piece really, but where they were it was a good as the biggest cake he could imagine and then some.

"Thank you," he said shyly.

"Don't you want to eat it? Because if you don't, I will."

John broke the piece in half and handed it to McKay. McKay pushed his hand away. "It's yours."

"Take it," John insisted.

"It's _your_ birthday."

"Then do what I want, will you?"

John pushed the chocolate in McKay's open mouth. "Iuh ngh."

"You're not spitting it out!" John said, because it looked just like McKay was doing that, leaning forward.

There was a brief struggle, and then John felt chocolate in his mouth and cold, chapped lips on his. This was... he pushed his arms around McKay, Rodney, the chocolate in his hand forgotten and dropped. McKay would surely look for it later, was John's last thought before Rodney's tongue pushed in his mouth and their far too cold hands started crawling over skin and they moved away just enough of their clothes to feel each other body to body.

It wasn't the best birthday he ever had. It was still miserably cold, and he was hungry, and his feet and hands hurt. But that night, beneath Rodney's body, he wasn't a soldier. He was just a man.


End file.
